Beer: Reviews & Ratings

I've really only had this seasonal at the brewery itself. And yeah, it can be a bit overly malty fer an IIPA. So that makes me wonder if there is performance anxiety out of the bottle? As that to me, would explain the questionable overall rating I see here from my fellow beer lovers. But hey, I see where you might be sayin' - all these folks on BA think this is just an OK IIPA beverage, how can they be wrong? To that I ask, is it possible you all are not quite right in the head? Cuz we all know, it ain't me. (513 characters)

A hazy, amber-rust, with a fast-going head that sticky's up the glass.

A wholly anonymous aroma, quiet, very reserved. I mean it's hard to get anything in the nose. Some wine-like fruit, candy shell. That's about all, folks.

In the mouth the fruit steps forth as navel orange and pineapple, turning to tart lemonade in the middle. White grapefruit rind bitterness in the long finish. A little sweetness lingers. The 8.5% alcohol is there, but not calling attention to itself.

I wish there were more malt, caramel malt would be nice. The sweet fruit provides balancing. I just wish it were more grainy. (605 characters)

Pours a hazy orange with a foamy beige head that settles to wisps of film on top of the beer. Small dots of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, honey, citrus zest, and floral aromas. Taste is much the same with earth and citrus zest flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of hop bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp and medium bodied mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with some fairly earthy flavors. (578 characters)

Ale Asylum Satisfaction Jacksin {sic} Double IPA. Ale Asylum, Madiosn, WI.Like every Ale Asylum bottle, no information about ABV is included, or even hinted at. It's the Wisconsin way. There is a spot for a "Best Enjoyed By" date, but it is blank. (8.5%, we eventually learned.)

Taste: Hop bomb from the get-go. Medium-bodied. Boldly bitter hoppitude commands the palate. Bright and juicy with plenty of malt to hold it all down. Am I satisfied? Fairly, though not overly. Not as much as the dude on the label illustration, that's for sure.

Hey, what do they tell us on the label, what's the gobbledygook? "Three pounds of centennial hops per barrel give our double IPA a slightly punishing yet entirely pleasing bitterness that dances on the tongue. Satisfaction is brewed with passion and is best enjoyed that way."

It's actually fairly easy-drinking, says this hop-head. Not really punishing. Or am I just jaded?

This seasonal was better in 2011. The 2012 smell seems the same but the taste and the mouth feel are both less than I remember them being last year. Maybe the new kettles in the new brew place haven't come around yet? This year's batch is really not able to hide the alcohol in the brew flavor and missed the balance that 2011 had, I think. Worse, but not a problem for Ale Asylum or the brew...the retailer jacked the price by $4 a six-pack over other competitors. $15 a six-pack isn't being nice and wouldn't bring back anyone for a second go at this stuff.

See what you think, but don't waste your money...I say there are lots of DIPAs that beat this 2012 batch for the $$.

Today 11/10/2013 I can say...

The 2013 seasonal is really back in tune with what I remember from 2011...very very good. But, the amount of scratch that fell out of my wallet when I bought it at $13/6 pack makes me have to wonder whether or not I REALLY want to buy it again until next season...and I probably won't, totally because of the $.

Also, but not a factor, AA used to use the squat bottles and now long-necks. I absolutely LOVED the way they USED to fill those squat bottles to the very MAX. It must be a $cheap thrill for me, I guess. (1,249 characters)

Poured into tulip. Reddish with an amber look. Big fluuffy white head. Sticks around for awhile with good lacing.

Very malty nose. Very unexpected. Sweet for an DIPA. Hops are hard to find. They show up in a "off" sort of way. Not quite citrus, but something to that extent.

Taste isn't balanced. But instead of a lean toward the hops like other DIPA's it's all sweet malt. The hops give off a metallic taste. More barleywine than anything. Not what I was looking for.

Mouthfeel and drinkability are average. I'm really disappointed in this beer. From a brewery that does hops exceptionally well I was expecting so much more. I would have settled for a doubled version of Hopalicious. This is the lone disappointment I've had for Ale Asylum. Oh well.

***A friend told me I must have had an old bottle so he gave me a fresh one to try.Totally different beer! Nice aroma and crisp hop flavors. Pine and citrus with just enough malt to balance. Changed my scores to reflect my second experience. The color even seemed to be clearer with less of an amber color. More dark golden. Drink your IPA's fresh! (1,104 characters)

T - Bitter pine up front with notes of floral and citrus. It is quickly put aside by a big sweet malt flavor in the middle. Honey, syrup, brown sugar and caramel come in very quickly. There is a light citrus bitter finish. If you are looking for the bitter to take over, this will disappoint.

M - It is a medium to full bodied IIPA with decent carbonation. A slick, yet syrup like feel.

O - This year the bottle will have a best buy date stamped on it about 4 months after bottling. This reminds me of Double Crooked Tree, but not as intense. It does have a bitter front, but it is quickly pushed aside by a massive wave of malt sweetness. You have to really pay attention to notice how bitter it starts, but most people only get the sweetness in the middle. Bought a 6pk for $12.49 (1,085 characters)

Smells very earthy and malty... i can smell the sweetness on the nose, different for most double IPA's... which in my opinion is a good thing I get the pineapple and citrus on the nose as well as some pine of course.

The taste is very bitter up front and then very sweet... i kinda like how this hits with a one two punch. Some may think this is unbalance... while true, it is a refreshing change to have a taste euphoria in my mouth different from the "norm".

I drank these on warm days and cold days and I found the flavors morph as it warms... very interesting. Give this a try, very delicious and interesting.... what we need more of in the beer world.

This brew was much better last year. Very citrus nose and taste, orange mainly. Alot of competing flavors that never really comes together. Is it a DIPA? is it a heavily hopped wheat beer? is it worth 14/6? I'd say no to all. They have a very nice new brewery though, thats worth a tour (286 characters)

a beautiful deep amber in color with a finger of creme colored head. smells malt heavy with a nice tropical smell of hops (pineapple, grapefruit, mango). said hops make this beer not only extremely bitter up front, but hit you right in the cheeks with its sweet tart citrusy hop profile! i know this bottle has a few months on it, i can't imagine it fresh! medium body with moderate carbonation, and very tart on the cheeks!

an excellent unique ipa. the flavor profile is like nothing i have ever had before, and i just realized the abv on this, which you can't taste one bit! (577 characters)

Appearance: Local Madison favorite Ale Asylum’s IIPA pours a deep, brown tinged, rusty amber. There is a small, one finger of off-white head that disappears quite quickly; better retention would be nice, but the above-average lacing makes up for it. There is also a wealth of sediment, which makes for a very cloudy look. This is a very unique looking IIPA, though the sediment could have been toned down a bit for a cleaner, nicer look.

Aroma: The aroma is extremely fruity, with lots of citrus in the form of oranges, mangoes, and tangerines. Pine is also a component. There are definitely some sweet, caramel malts just behind the fruitiness, which is typical of an IIPA, along with a very nice creaminess, which is not. It is strange, but the aroma really evokes strawberry banana yogurt. That makes very little sense, given that none of those ingredients are in the beer (obviously), but that is what comes through when all the components come together. It’s interesting, to say the least.

Taste: It is hard to know what to make of this. There is a lot going on, but it does not really come together in any appealing way. There is hoppy bitterness in the form of rinds, minimal tangerine, apricot, and oranges, and a touch of malty sweetness that does not align with the color or aroma at all. Some sips even contain a bit of spiciness and yeastiness, due to its unfiltered nature. Whatever it is, it is confusing to the palate, and not really pleasing at all.

Mouthfeel: Here is another miss for this beer… The liquid feels watery and thin, yet oily, and the nearly non-existent carbonation does it no favors. The bitterness is minimally astringent, and there is a minor alcohol warmth at the tail end of each drink; these are the crowning features of the beer, which really does not say much for it. If possible, this is even less pleasing than the taste.

Overall: I do not think it is possible to be as disappointed in a beer as I am in this one. There is nothing really special going on here besides the unusual aroma, the taste never comes together into anything pleasing, and the mouthfeel is borderline offensive. The IIPA is one of my favorite styles, but this was just a complete miss on all fronts. It pains me to knock Ale Asylum, since it is a hometown brewery, but this beer is below average, plain and simple. 12/20 (2,377 characters)

A- Pours a brown with red tinge to the sides and a nice thick creamy head about a inch high but settles to a coating that last the whole time you drink it. Very pretty, my issue is that it is well out of the pale realm and this seams to be a trend with a lot of IPAs and DIPAs, maybe we should start the trend of naming them American Browns, and American Ambers...I don't know just a ramble of thought.

S- A nice wonderful fresh hoppy scent that fills the nose.

T- Not much in the realm of grain flavor, but the hops are nice and really cut through the beer. It's a little lacking in flavor, although the flavor that is there is great.

M- Nice carbonation and a solid mouth feel. I won't say it's a heavy body, but it has it.

12 oz bottle poured into ST Imperial GlassA- Very hazy and copper in color, specks of sediment on bottom even though its a fresh bottle. pours 1.5 finger off-white head, some ok spotty lacing, and retention. Not the prettiest looking DIPA.S- A lot of maltiness, caramel mostly, the citrus is pretty nice, some orange, a low-key hoppiness.T- Dominant caramel malt sweetness, a lot of orange. pine and citrusy flavors go along nicely, some hoppy bitterness but not nearly enough, the flavors that are there are good but doesn't have that typical DIPA bite to itM- Smooth and full body, almost no carbonation, slightly oily, drinkable for a DIPAO- Defintely a different kind of DIPA. Im a fan of their other hopped up beers. This is missing that big bite I look for in a DIPA. The bitterness is not even "slightly punishing" as the label suggests. (849 characters)

This brew poured out as a muddy looking brownish copper color with an off white head on top. The smell of the beer was full of hoppy aromas and hints of sweet malt. The taste of the beer gives off a healthy amount of hop bitterness that gives off essence of pine and grapefruit. The mouthfeel of this beer is on the thicker side, slightly oily with a moderate carbonation level. Overall this is a pretty solid beer, I can't find too much to complain about other than it's appearance. Still very drinkable and worth trying. (522 characters)

An orange hazy beer with an orange-ish head that faded quickly & left heavy lacing.

Orange & cardamom in the nose and all over the body. Slightly thinner in flavor & mouthfeel than many DIPAs, but overall a very drinkable beer with a unique but pleasant taste & an interesting finish. Oh, and the hops...piny, prickly and satisfyingly sharp, a DIPA worth seeking out. (392 characters)

Poured out the usual orange and copper color, about 1/2" of head to it, decent retention for a dipa. Sweet aroma, lots of caramel, hops aren't super fresh, but there's hops there.

Taste, again, more sweetness, caramel, the hops aren't really impressive in this beer, they lend themselves to create more of a citrus sweetness than anything, thankfully, not just a ridiculously bitter dipa, this one does incorporate a little bit of the tropical fruit sweetness, but not in the really good way like beers like Oracle, Double Jack or Lagunitas Sucks do in the upper echelon of style for tropical sweetnessy type of hop mouthfeel.

Kind of more reminiscient of Myrcenary than anything, which is to say it was pretty sweet and syrupy at times, but an overall enjoyable experience. (777 characters)